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		<H2>2.4 Opening and Executing a Visual Program</H2>
		<P>
This section will show you how to:

		<UL COMPACT>
<LI>Open a visual program.
<LI>Execute that program to display an object in the Image window.
</UL>
<P>
<H3><A NAME="HDRLOADVP" ></A>Opening a Visual Program
</H3>
<A NAME="IDX40"></A>
<A NAME="IDX41"></A>
<P>
A visual program must be opened before it can be executed:
<OL>
<P><LI>

From the Data Explorer Startup window choose
<TT><STRONG>Edit Visual Program</STRONG></TT>.
A file selection dialog box appears (see <A
HREF="qikgu011.htm#FIGFILESEL">Figure 3</A>).
You can also get to the file selection dialog by choosing
<TT><STRONG>Run Visual
Program</STRONG></TT> in the Startup window or, once the visual program
editor or image window has appeared, by selecting

<TT><STRONG>File</STRONG></TT> in the menu bar of the window
and then selecting <TT><STRONG>Open Program</STRONG></TT>.
<P><LI><I>Double click</I> on any part of the
<TT><STRONG>Filter</STRONG></TT> field at the
top of the dialog box.
Any text in that field will appear against the background of a black
highlight bar.
<P><LI>Type
<P>
<TT>/usr/local/dx/samples/tutorial/*&#46;net</TT>
<P>
(The cursor automatically moves to the beginning of the text line as
soon as you start typing, and the highlighted text and
highlight bar disappear.)
<P><B>Note: </B>The file extension <TT>&#46;net</TT> (for network) is the
default for Data Explorer visual programs.
In Data Explorer, "network" is a term for visual
program.
<P><LI>Press <TT><STRONG>Enter</STRONG></TT> or click on the
<TT><STRONG>Filter</STRONG></TT> pushbutton at the bottom
of the dialog box.
The <TT><STRONG>Selection</STRONG></TT> field just above this button now
displays the directory path name.
An alphabetized list of the <TT>&#46;net</TT> files in the
directory appears in the <TT><STRONG>Files</STRONG></TT> field.
<P><B>Note: </B>If the path name you typed is invalid (the wrong list or no list
of files appears), you can edit it: position the mouse cursor at
the point where you want to start editing and click
<I>once</I> before beginning to type.
<P>
If the highlight bar reappears, retyping the entire path name is
still unnecessary: again, position the cursor and click
<I>once</I>.
The highlight bar disappears, but the path name remains, with the
cursor at the selected position.
<P><LI>Use the scroll bar to move to the bottom of the list in the
<TT><STRONG>Files</STRONG></TT> field.
Click on <TT>example1&#46;net</TT> to highlight the file name.
The <TT><STRONG>Selection</STRONG></TT> field now displays the file&#39;s
full path name.
<P><LI>Click on <TT><STRONG>OK</STRONG></TT> to open the
<TT>example1&#46;net</TT>
visual program:
the dialog box closes; a "network" of modules and connecting lines
appears in the "canvas" area of the VPE window; and the full
path name of the program appears in the title bar of the
window.
Opening is completed.
</OL>
<P>
For a short description of <TT>example1.net</TT>, click on
<TT><STRONG>Help</STRONG></TT> at the right side of the menu
bar and select <TT><STRONG>Application Comment</STRONG></TT>
in the pull-down menu.
<TABLE BORDER WIDTH="100%"><TR><TH ALIGN="LEFT">For Future
Reference</TH><TR><TD>
<UL COMPACT>
<LI>Double clicking on a name in the <TT><STRONG>Files</STRONG></TT> field
also opens a program.
<LI>It is not necessary to clear the canvas of one program before
opening another.
Just open the new program.
<LI>If for any reason you want to start over again with a clean
canvas--without closing Data Explorer: click on <TT><STRONG>File</STRONG></TT>
in the menu bar and select <TT><STRONG>New</STRONG></TT> in the
pull-down menu.
This sequence clears the canvas of the previous program network and any
associated windows.
</UL>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<P>
<H3><A NAME="Header_22" ></A>Executing a Visual Program
</H3>
<A NAME="IDX42"></A>
<A NAME="IDX43"></A>
<P>
To execute a visual program like <TT>example1&#46;net</TT>
(once it has been opened):
<OL>
<P><LI>Click on <TT><STRONG>Execute</STRONG></TT> in the menu bar of the VPE
window.
<P><B>Note: </B>A visual program can be executed from any window that has
<TT><STRONG>Execute</STRONG></TT> in its menu bar.
<P><LI>Select <TT><STRONG>Execute Once</STRONG></TT> in the pull-down menu.
Execution (which may take several seconds) is indicated by the
highlighted <TT><STRONG>Execute</STRONG></TT> in the menu bar
and the brief highlighting of various icons in the
canvas area.
The window that appears displays the image of a water molecule
(<A HREF="#FIGIMWIN">Figure 5</A>).
<P><B><A NAME="FIGIMWIN" HREF="../qikguide.htm#FT_FIGIMWIN">Figure 5. Image
Window</A></B>. The window shown here displays the image generated by the visual
program &nbsp;/usr/local/dx/samples/tutorial/example1.net&nbsp;.<BR>
<B><BR><CENTER><IMG SRC="../images/imagwin.gif" ALT="Figure imagwin not
displayed."></CENTER><BR></B><BR>
<A NAME="IDX44"></A>
<A NAME="IDX45"></A>
<P>
Once an object appears in the Image window, you can do a number of
things with it, including:
<UL COMPACT>
<LI>Changing the view of the object (see <A HREF="qikgu015.htm">2.5 ,
"Controlling the Appearance of an Object: The Image Window"</A>).
<LI>Editing the visual program that generates the image (see
<A HREF="qikgu016.htm#HDRTEDVP">3.1 , "Editing a Visual Program: The
Basics"</A>).
<LI>Saving and Printing its image, using the <TT><STRONG>File</STRONG></TT>
pull-down menu in the menu bar (see <A HREF="qikgu023.htm#HDRTSANDP">"Saving and
Printing Images"</A>).
</UL>
</OL>
<TABLE BORDER WIDTH="100%"><TR><TH ALIGN="LEFT">For Future
Reference</TH><TR><TD>
<P>
<OL COMPACT>
<LI>
Many of the options in pull-down menus can be invoked by
"accelerator" keyboard sequences.
In the menus, these "shortcuts" appear next to the corresponding
options.
For a complete list, see <A HREF="usrgu078.htm#HDRAPD">Appendix G. "Accelerator
Keys"</A> in <I>IBM Visualization Data Explorer User&#39;s Guide</I>.
<LI>The

editor

window can be invoked directly with the command:
<PRE>

dx -edit &#91;<I>program path name</I>&#93;

</PRE>
</OL>
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